


The Queen and the Knight

by Applesaday



Series: Countless Lifetimes [10]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, FTL AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 08:57:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3321473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesaday/pseuds/Applesaday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Queen and the Knight full story from In the End, We're all Just Stories</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Queen and the Knight

**Author's Note:**

> More drabbles for everyone!
> 
> Also, despite tiny snippets of this story being featured in the drabble "In the End, We're all Just Stories", you don't have to read it to understand this.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Fantasy_

**Prompted by:**  cajunghost - I wish we could have read the whole story that Regina told to her family about the Queen and the Knight.

**Warnings/ Notes:**  None really, despite that the original drabble that inspired this request was angsty, this one is much more light-hearted.

* * *

Once upon a time, in the Enchanted Forest, there lived a queen. But she was not happy. You see, she was alone, with no one to love. Everyone either feared or hated her. The Evil Queen had long forgone the pretense she would receive a happy ending.

Her only saving grace for the longest time was a little boy she had found wandering one day while riding, trying to alleviate the stress of court. He had been charming in his naivete, it had warmed the Queen's dark heart.

"Halt Rocinante," she braked her steed, seeing a little head peek out behind the underbrush. She got off her horse, and made her way to where she had seen the child.

Just like all children, this little boy greatly overestimated his abilities to hide. He had curled up into himself behind the bush he had peeked out from, and believed himself to be practically invisible.

Regina kneeled and asked, "Hello little one, are you lost?"

The young boy - who couldn't be more than 5 or 6 - looked up at her with wide eyes. She was used to seeing fear in everyone's eyes at being faced with the Evil Queen, but inexplicably, it seemed this little boy had no idea no she was. He shook his head, his messy brown hair sweeping across his eyes with each shake.

"What is your name?" was her next question, being wary of not startling the child by making any physical contact.

He answered with a smile, "Henry."

"Do you have a home?"

"No," Henry said, shaking his head more surely. "Alone."

For the rest of her days, she would wonder what possessed her to take in the child. She was practically heartless; a villain. But something in her made her want to care for this little boy. She remembered something some allies had once warned her of. Her journey would leave a hole in her heart, one that she would constantly seek to fill, for the rest of her days. Perhaps Henry would help fill this long-ignored pang of sadness in her heart.

"How would you like to live in a castle?" the Queen asked, grinning to the boy.

His expression filled with childlike wonder. "Really?"

And so, the Evil Queen acquired a child. She cared for him and raised him as her own. He really was the only one who got to see the Queen unguarded. However, no one else thought the Evil Queen could do something so pure as to raise a child. From the scullery maids all the way to royals in neighbouring kingdoms, rumours were abound as to what nefarious plan she had for the innocent boy. Was she holding him hostage? The Queen never answered them.

* * *

For the next four years, the Queen bonded with her son, getting to know and have her heart melt at the adorable boy. The little boy loved his mommy, and he was always ecstatic at getting to see her, running up to give her a crushing hug every single time. She would make time every day to spend time with him, just the two of them. The only one privy to the truth was her Huntsman, Graham.

Then one day, Graham was killed by a band of rouges. So the Queen was forced to take up another person to become her right hand, a protector and confidante. She had yet to find anyone, and Henry decided that he should try to help her.

So, with the determination that could only be found in a 10-year old, Henry went down to the training grounds, on a mission to find someone who would be adequate to fill Graham's shoes. After a few minutes of wandering, he found a pretty interesting candidate. The knight in question was in the middle of sparring. Although they were both evenly matched, with wooden swords and leather under-armour, it was clear who the winner was going to be. After a minute of watching, his prediction had come true, watching as a man hit the dirt ground with a deep "oof", the wooden sword of the winner - and Henry's preferred candidate - pointed at his throat.

"Good game, Swan," the man said with a chuckle. "Now can you lower your sword? Or are you planning on skewering me with splinters?"

What had impressed Henry so much was seeing a woman knight. He had never seen one before, and he was fascinated. He watched as the blonde knight give a chuckle of her own before sheathing the sword and extending a hand to help the man up.

"Well, considering you already have a wooden leg to call your own, Booth, I don't think splinters would bother you so much."

The man, who Henry gathered was named Booth, glared at Swan, before noticing a boy watching from outside the arena. "We've got company."

Henry saw that he was caught, and gave a shy smile. The lady knight walked up to him, coming to stand where the boy was perched, gripping onto the wooden fence that corralled the sparring area in order to see a better vantage point. "Hi!" he greeted with a grin.

"Hey kid, what are you up to?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Watching you guys spar. I never saw a lady knight before!"

Emma had heard that line way too many times before. Though she was thankful that it seemed that this kid had no ill intents behind his comment, since in the past, such a line was usually accompanied with a sexist and condescending remark. It seemed that he was just in admiration of her. "Yep, I am."

"Have you battled dragons before?"

She nodded, grinning mischievously. "Of course."

"Perfect! Come on!" Before Emma could even register what was going on, the boy was pulling on her arm to follow him. She quickly bounded over the fence and then allowed herself to be led to wherever he was so adamant about going.

"Hey kid, where are we going?"

"To talk to my mom! You'd be perfect to work for her!" he answered, briefly turning back while walking to look at her, flashing a handsome smile at her.

Emma looked at him confused. "Look... uhm, what's your name?"

"Henry! Yours?"

"Emma. Henry, I'm already under the employ of the Queen-"

"Yep, I know!" Emma realized right then that she would not be able to reason with this child, so she figured she'd go along, and when she was with his mom, explain the situation, and trust that she would understand.

When she saw that they were going inside the castle, Emma allowed a moment to frown. So Henry's mom worked in the castle? Now she was even more confused. What would a woman working in the castle want to be protected from?

* * *

Regina felt her eyes water in exhaustion. The paperwork in front of her was grating on her nerves. It was one of the great downsides to ruling a kingdom: having to look over paperwork for agreements and partnerships.

She looked up when she heard the door open, and frowned when she saw her son pulling in a very confused blonde with him. The woman - who she surmised from her armour, was a knight - was bent awkwardly as she allowed herself to be led by her son's hand.

Emma, for her part, when she saw the Queen, she dropped to a kneeling position, letting go of Henry's hand. She inwardly kept cursing herself. The boy must think she is an idiot! Plus she had no idea that the Queen had a son...though in her defense, neither did it seem that anyone else knew, for she was sure someone would've mentioned it to her otherwise. There had been talk of a little boy that was in the Queen's company and lived in the castle, but no one knew who he was. It seemed that now, she did.

The Queen glanced at the knight for a second, before turning to her son, who was also looking at the knight. "Henry," - the boy looked at her - "who is this?"

"This is Emma! She can take over Graham's position!" Henry explained simply.

Regina studied the figure still kneeling. She had been a bit busy to hold tryouts to decide who would be worthy of protecting not only her, but Henry as well. It was a tough task, and not one that she would give to any random knight. She nodded slowly, and then said. "Thank you, Henry. Why don't you go and change, dinner will be soon, I wish to ask Lady Emma a few questions."

Henry nodded and left the room without another word.

"Stand," the Queen commanded.

Emma quickly stood, eyes down. She suddenly felt a warm hand gently grasping her chin, studying her. The knight was forced to meet the Queen's gaze, and she was surprised that the eyes were a nice brown, not the cold black she had been told in hushed whispers.

"You are a knight?" Emma nodded. "How long have you been in my employ?"

"Six years, your Majesty."

Regina didn't betray her surprise. She was usually well-informed and knew all the members of her guard, but the fact that she had a woman knight, and for the past 6 years, was a shock. "How did you come to join us?"

"Graham actually hired me," Emma answered, willing her emotions to not get the better of her. Graham had actually been a very good friend and mentor to her. She still couldn't believe he was gone.

The Queen did notice the tears that gathered in the knight's eyes, and decided to not press that matter more. She did ask plenty of other questions about Emma's loyalty, her expertise and skills. All the time, she held onto the blonde's chin, eyes boring into her.

"Very well, I believe you will do," Regina decided, finally letting go of her knight's chin. "From now on, you will be tasked with accompanying me, and ensuring my safety. You will also be tasked with keeping Henry safe. As you must have surmised, only a select few are privy to who Henry really is, for his safety. I would trust that you are capable of such a task?"

"Of course, your Majesty," Emma answered, adding a small bow for effect.

"Good, you begin tomorrow. I will show you to your new room."

* * *

Emma had quickly adjusted herself to her new role. Her days quickly fell into a similar rhythm. She would wake early to meet the Queen, and they would discuss plans for the day over breakfast in the Queen's anteroom. Depending on the Queen's plans, she would either spend her time with the Queen herself, or with Henry. The knight had quickly bonded with the little prince, finding that they got along quite nicely.

She was also discovering that she had a crush on the Queen. A laughable fact. She was a lowly knight, she had no right to feel this way to her Queen, so she ignored as best as she could. Which proved to be quite hard considering the royal's proclivity to wearing very revealing dresses that made Emma's mouth dry. But she somehow managed against the odds for a good while.

A few months later, she found herself at night sitting cross-legged with Henry asleep with his head on her lap. She was idly combing her fingers through his hair - something that she found soothed the young prince - as she read a book. The Queen was having a long day, and Emma refused to leave without knowing that the Queen had made it back, before retiring for the night.

It was a surprise to her to suddenly look up and see that the Queen had been standing near the doorway, watching the scene with something akin to fondness. Regina couldn't believe how much these 3 months had allowed her to discover that the knight was proving to be such a wonderful addition to her daily life. She looked forward to getting to spend time with Emma, and enjoy her companionship. The knight, apart from being skilled with a sword - she had been privy to watch one of her training sessions on Emma's off day, and she was impressed - she was also very smart, and offered stimulating conversation. She found that that she valued her input, especially since sometimes Emma caught some movements and words from visiting dignitaries that she didn't herself notice, and helped her to make decisions.

She saw that Emma looked up, and started to move to stand and carry Henry to bed, but Regina raised a hand to stop her. Emma did stop, and the Queen approached them for a few seconds more, before sitting down on the floor in front of Emma, the long dress poofing out a bit from under her, and she joined Emma stroking Henry's hair. If she didn't know any better, Henry smiled just a little bit wider at having both women lavishing him with love.

"How was the meeting?" Emma asked quietly.

Regina sighed. "Boring, same discussion as always. King Solomon wanted a partnership, but he had nothing to offer, and tried to offer me vague promises. How was Henry?"

"Oh you know, enthusiastic as always. I think he tired out from his small trip, and he just collapsed. Do you want me to take him to bed?"

Regina was about to deny, say that she could do it herself, but then Emma added, "It wouldn't be a trouble, plus you look very tired yourself."

She nodded, flashing a grateful smile. Emma put the ribbon to mark her place in the book before shutting it, placing it on the nearby table. Shifting slightly to get up, Emma got her legs out from under Henry, making sure to gently cradle his head so that he wouldn't notice the shift. She then moved her other arm to pick Henry up around his middle, and stood up with Henry in her arms.

Regina stood up as well, and she smiled at Emma. "Thank you for this, Emma."

She gently bowed her head in respect, and then said, "It's my pleasure, my Queen."

Emma was then shocked as Regina rested her hand on Emma's upper arm, before reaching forward to give Emma a kiss on the cheek. "Regina."

That night, Emma could barely fall asleep with the giddy excitement she was left with, knowing that she had just been granted the honour of being able to refer to the Queen by her first name. And the small kiss on her cheek was the cherry on top that toppled her over into blissful happiness.

Little did she know that the Queen was having a similar effect having given Emma that peck.

* * *

It would be another few months before anything more happened.

Regina was in the library, trying to organize her collection of books, having just received some new tomes to add to her collection. Emma had been tasked with bringing the books in to the room, and now that she had finished, she was idly lounging on a chair. She had tried to offer her help to put the books away, but Regina just shook her head and insisted, "It's fine, Emma, I want to make sure the books are properly organized."

But by now, the Queen was reaching the higher shelves, and she needed help. "Emma? Could you come help me?"

"Certainly." Emma quickly got up and made her way to her Queen. It could be said that she was one of the bravest knights of her age. She had battled dragons and fearsome bandits single-handedly, and had the scars to prove it. So it would be natural to surmise that the knight was a composed being. However, that was not the case, no matter how much Emma tried to kid herself into thinking otherwise. It probably was something to do with irony. Of course the valiant knight was also a very clumsy one. So clumsy that she tripped and crashed right into the Queen, toppling them both over.

She hadn't see that her path was riddled with tiny stacks of books that Regina had yet to put away, and she walked right into them. Emma had at least had enough sense to grab Regina's hips and turn them over mid-fall so that Emma would be the one to crash into the floor, while Regina landed more comfortably on top of her.

"Gods, I'm so sorry Regina, I wasn't looking where I was going and-" Regina decided to stop the unnecessary apology as best as their current situation allowed it, which was by kissing Emma.

They were certainly in an interesting position as they kissed. Regina had one hand firmly planted on the ground, while the other cupped Emma's cheek. Her legs were nestled between Emma's own, while the knight's hands were still holding on to her Queen's hips, but neither of them minded. They were kissing one another, and everything else just fell away.

* * *

"She was lucky. That blade could've easily damaged her vital organs," the castle physician explained to Regina. They were standing outside the Queen's room, where the doctor had just finished tending to Emma. Henry had gone inside to see how the knight was doing, but Regina held herself from doing that just a little bit longer while she listened to the diagnostic report. There had been a small siege in the castle - Regina would later thoroughly examine her guards to find the weak link - and Emma had bravely defended the Queen and Prince, and defeated the attackers. But she had suffered a nasty wound near her gut for her efforts.

As she continued to listen, she couldn't help but be thankful that Emma was alright. She didn't know what she would do if she lost her. Once the doctor was done, Regina thanked and then dismissed her. Now that the wound was clean and tended, Regina could heal it, and alleviate Emma from the pain.

Walking inside, she smiled fondly at seeing that Henry had already fallen asleep on Emma, sleeping on her good right side, head resting on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Regina quietly asked, perching herself on the bed by Emma's left side, glancing at the bandages that were peeking out from underneath the white cotton shirt she wore.

Emma shrugged, but regretted it instantly as one side was weighed down by an 11-year old, and the other stung from the pull at her wound. She hissed and scrunched her face up in pain.

"Shh, relax, I'm going to heal you." Their relationship for the past year could only be defined by a big unknown. After their kiss, they had continued to watch their closeness blossom. Moments in which they were alone would include stolen kisses. Downtime with Henry or even days that they would find themselves lounging around would lead to the lack of personal space as Regina would often lean into Emma's comforting chest, while the knight would embrace her Queen with her arms. They hadn't really sought a concrete definition of their relationship, and they both had their private reasons.

For Regina, she was worried that Emma would not want to pursue a further relationship with her Queen. It was one thing to indulge in some fleeting feelings, and another entirely to give herself to be in a relationship with the fearsome Evil Queen.

But Emma had no qualms about it, in fact she did want to be in a relationship with Regina. But she saw the elegant and poised Queen, and assumed that there was no way that Regina would want to be with her knight.

They would eventually come to realize that their feelings were mutual, but today, they were both tired. Regina did as she had said, lifting Emma's shirt a bit and holding her hands above the covered wound. Purple shone around her hands as her magic worked to heal. Once she was done, Regina flashed a small smile to Emma, before moving to stand up. She was stopped by Emma's hand gently latching onto her wrist.

"Stay." Emma then let go, and gently patted the side of the bed that was unoccupied. It was Regina's bed after all, she should still be able to sleep in it.

Regina acquiesced, and lied down beside Emma, resting her own head by Emma's vacant shoulder. Emma shifted as best as she could to give Regina a quick kiss, feeling much better without the stinging pain. "Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you. You saved Henry's and my life."

Maybe it was the medicine the physician had her drink earlier, but she felt uninhibited enough to say, "And why wouldn't I? You two are the most important people in my life. I'd readily defend you two anytime."

They would talk tomorrow, but for now, Regina merely gave Emma a kiss to convey her gratitude. They fell asleep with Emma holding what would soon become her family.

The next day, they did talk, and open up about their feelings and worries. They decided to give it a try, and see where their blossoming relationship would lead.

A year or so later, they were married, and expecting a child. It turned out that they were true loves, and it would allow them to have a child of their own. Henry was ecstatic at becoming a big brother, and at seeing their little family grow.

Indeed, grow it did. Their story would forever be retold countless times again, and like every single good story, it ends with a promise.

And they lived happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Tadaaa!
> 
> That was that! I hope everyone enjoyed this little story! I tried to reflect the show a little bit, but keep it still in FTL. Some things were obviously skewed, such as Henry's age, and how Graham died.
> 
> Next up from me will be A Thief in the Night, and then, Equals! [All FTL fics, wow!]
> 
> Let me know what you thought, or if you have your own drabble requests!


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